Miami Heat at Oklahoma City Thunder
Thursday, 6/14/12, 9:00 PM EST, TV: ABC
Opening Point Spread: Oklahoma City -5
Current Betting Line: Oklahoma City -5.5
Opening Total: 196
Current Total: 196.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Miami was unable to hold onto a 13-point lead in Game 1 of the 2012 NBA Finals, ultimately dropping a 105-94 decision as five-point road underdogs to the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We were thinking we were putting ourselves in a position to win, and then they just went away,” commented Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. The Heat were led offensively by LeBron James, who scored 30 points on Tuesday night, tying a team record of four straight games of 30-plus points during the postseason. Miami is 1-6 ATS as an underdog and the “under” is 6-1 in that situation.
The Heat are going to need more production from the other two members of the “Big Three”, especially power forward Chris Bosh who continues to recover from an abdominal injury, as he scored 10 points and pulled down five rebounds in just over 33 minutes of action. Miami is 12-7 during the postseason, but just 4-5 on the road, which isn’t far off from its even 5-5 mark away from South Beach during the playoffs a year ago.
Oklahoma City has reeled off five consecutive wins since facing a 2-0 series deficit to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals, with the offense scoring at least 102 points in each of those contests. The Thunder were terrific after the break in Game 1, outscoring the Heat by a sizable 58-40 margin, as stars Kevin Durant and Russell Wesbrook combined to score 41 points over the final 24 minutes of action. Oklahoma City is 6-3 as a home favorite of 3.5 to 6 points, while the “over” is 7-2 in those contests.
The Thunder have been known for their offense sense the 2011-12 season tipped off, finishing third in the league behind the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs in averaging 103.1 points per game. Oklahoma City is going to be incredibly difficult to beat inside Chesapeake Energy Arena due to how vocal the fan base is, as the franchise will put its perfect 9-0 home record on the line in the playoffs in Game 2. Durant scored a game-high 36 points in the series opener, while Westbrook chipped in with 27.
Bettors will likely back the Heat due to their 2-0 ATS mark when trailing in a playoff series this year, while the Thunder are 15-16 ATS after a double-digit win.
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